Alteration
by Caligo Origuu
Summary: Waters of Mars AU. A single drop of water might be enough to change everything.  What if Viera didn't escape the water of Mars? Alternate ending for Part Eight.
1. A Single Splash of Water

IMPORTANT: THIS IS AN ALTERNATE ENDING. It diverts from Part Eight of Viera, my main Doctor Who project. If you haven't read that then this won't make a whole lot of sense.

Also, if you've been reading the main story, you've probably already basically read this chapter. Sorry.

DISCLAIMER: Doctor Who does not belong to me, but this is how things might have gone if they did.

SUMMARY: A single drop of water might be enough to change everything. What if Viera didn't escape the water of Mars?

ALLERGEN WARNING: The following product may contain faith, doubt, SPOILERS for Doctor Who, an OC, the occasional monologue, and more than a few nuts.

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><p><em>Supplemental Soundtrack:<em>

**The Corridors of Mars: "We'll Protect You" by Epic Score**

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><p>ALTERNATE PART EIGHT – WATERS OF MARS<p>

Alteration One – A Single Splash of Water

The Doctor, Viera and Captain Adelaide Brooke were running with all their might as two of the infected crew chased after them. There were footsteps pounding behind them. They were distant at first, as the trio had gotten a good head start, but every time Viera glanced over her shoulder the two infected men had gained a little more ground.

The Doctor stopped abruptly when they reached Gaget, turning the little robot around. Viera nearly whimpered when she stopped as well, panic clawing away at her insides, telling her to _run, Run, RUN._

"Doctor, we haven't got time!" Adelaide protested.

"They can run faster than us," the Doctor pointed out. "We need a lift." He did something with the screwdriver, then climbed onto the back of the robot. "Both of you, get on. Hurry!" Viera obeyed without question, quite used to crazy, brilliant ideas. She clung to the Doctor's back, arms clasped around his lean waist tightly.

Adelaide protested even as she followed suit. There wasn't a whole lot of room on the robot; the Doctor let go with one arm so she could climb on in front of him. "This thing moves at two miles an hour!"

"Not anymore!" the Doctor proclaimed. With a whining gesture of the sonic screwdriver, the little robot took off like it was on rockets. There was no roar of anger behind them, but when Viera looked back she saw both men raise their arms in preparation to shoot water, still running. She cringed and turned to bury her face in the Doctor's coat. There was a loud splattering behind them like fire hoses spraying on concrete, but Gaget soon propelled the trio out of range and the spraying stopped.

Faster and faster the robot went, down the corridor, up a ramp, and right into the airlock in the other side. They all scrambled off. The Doctor and Adelaide repeated the process of sealing the door. Outside the two men stopped. The Doctor and the Captain watched out the window to make sure they weren't going to try anything else. It took a few moments for them to turn and notice the change in their other companion.

They'd stopped running, but it was getting harder for Viera to breath. Panic stole her air in quiet gasps. Cold fear twisted around her veins.

Her back was wet. She'd thought it was her imagination, her nerves and the adrenaline causing her chill, but now that they were stopped she was quite certain. Their getaway hadn't been fast enough after all.

"Viera?" the Doctor asked carefully, noticing the change in her breathing or perhaps just the way her face had paled.

His voice broke the spell of stillness that horror had cast over her. Viera gave a soft moan of fear and started clawing at her shirt. _Get it off, get it off, get it off!_

"Viera, what-?" the Doctor's startled exclamation cut off abruptly when he spotted the large damp spot on the back of her shirt. The shirt dropped to the floor and Viera stood shaking with her arms wrapped around herself, a frightened plea in her dark eyes as she stared at the Doctor.

_Tell me there's a way to fix this. Tell me I'm not infected. I don't want to become one of them._ _I don't want die here. Please, God. I don't want to die here. _She'd just become part of the nightmare.

Adelaide stepped back and leveled her gun at Viera. The Doctor's expression shifted from frozen horror to cajoling in an instant.

"Now come on; there's no need for that," he said sternly, holding up a hand as though to hold off the gun with nothing but his will. "We don't know that she's infected. The water didn't get into her mouth. Maybe it has to be ingested."

The possibility sent hope flooding through Viera's veins, and she clung to it like someone drowning. The Doctor shrugged out of his coat without looking away from the armed Captain and handed it to Viera. She realized then that she was standing in her bra and blushed as she accepted the coat. Soon the thick fabric covered her pale skin and the deep, curling burn scars that covered everything. The coat was warm and it was big on her, the hem almost trailing on the ground. Absurdly enough Viera immediately felt just a little bit safer.

"She's going into isolation," Adelaide ordered, no compromise in her voice or expression. "Right now."

"All right. All right. There's really no need for the gun, Adelaide," the Doctor coaxed. "You're just scaring her. Look at her. She's not being at all threatening."

Viera did her best to look unthreatening. It wasn't terribly hard, pale and shaking and dwarfed by the Doctor's coat.

"Maggie seemed fine until she wasn't, Doctor. Just because she still looks normal doesn't mean she's not infected. Get moving," Captain Brooke snapped, motioning slightly with her gun.

"Okay, we're going. Just, everyone stay calm." The Doctor cautiously turned his back on Adelaide and reached out to nudge Viera forward. Her eyes went wide and she jerked back out of reach. Surprise filled the Doctor's expression, but understanding followed quick on its heels.

"You shouldn't. We don't know how this spreads," Viera murmured urgently. She started walking down the hall, keeping a few steps out of reach. She felt very aware of where he was behind her, always between her and that gun.

"I'm going to figure this out, do you hear me? Everything's going to be fine," the Doctor promised. He had a habit of doing that, making promises he couldn't necessarily keep. Viera knew he'd do his best though, and the Doctor's best was extraordinary. It was that knowledge that prompted her quiet reply.

"I know."

He pulled out his sonic screwdriver as they walked, scanning her then frowning at the readings. When he caught her looking over her shoulder, watching him, his expression cleared immediately. He waved away her worry. "I just need different equipment to be sure," the Doctor soothed. He looked back at Adelaide. "You know, if you'd just let us get to our ship-"

"Not a chance," Adelaide interrupted.

The rest of the walk was quiet, or would have been without the Doctor's constant commentary, a suggestion about bicycles and unhappy murmurings as he fiddled with the settings of his screwdriver. When they walked into the medical dome, Ed was the first one that saw them. He stepped forward instinctually and Captain Adelaide snapped at him.

"Don't touch her!"

It was then that Ed noticed the gun; confusion then suspicion overwhelmed his expression. He did as ordered and stepped away from Viera who felt almost as embarrassed as she was frightened at the moment. Roman peeked around the corner, petulantly rubbing his sore hands. Steffi & Yuri backed away as well, and Viera finally noticed Maggie behind them. Just like Andy and Tarak she was leaking water everywhere, her eyes had gone cloudy, and the skin around her mouth had cracked open. Viera prayed she wasn't looking into her own future.

"That way," Adelaide commanded, motioning with her gun. Viera glanced back then obediently walked through the doorway to her right. There was another isolation cell there, like the one Maggie was confined in but a little smaller. She was separated from the infected woman by a simple, clear wall. Viera swallowed as the door slid open with a hiss. She stepped in and tried not to flinch as she heard it seal behind her.

Viera clutched the Doctor's coat a bit tighter around her, trying to take comfort in the familiar scent of the Time Lord that lingered on the fabric. She watched through the clear walls of her prison as the Doctor took over the nearby computers and Adelaide turned to the cell next to her, studying what remained of Maggie. Viera shuddered again.

_Is that going to happen to me?_

"Blast!" the Doctor shouted, thumping the nearest computer hard. "This isn't any good. I need better equipment!"

"She's not going anywhere," Adelaide snapped, knowing where he was headed.

The Doctor frowned at her. Viera could practically see him thinking. Rather than argue he decided, at least for the moment, to focus on the threat he could deal with.

Maggie had her hands against the door, water pouring from her palms. She had everyone's attention at the moment.

"Maggie?" Adelaide questioned, her voice sharp and demanding, the sort of voice people usually obeyed. "Can you hear me? Do you know who I am? Your commanding officer, Captain Adelaide Brooke."

The infected woman tilted her head slowly to the side, watching the Captain. Her mouth moved only to release water without a hint of sound. Viera was reminded painfully of Sky Silvestry when she'd been possessed, inhuman, studying them until she could steal their words.

"Doctor," she murmured, terribly uncomfortable. The Doctor gave her a concerned look, but Adelaide kept talking.

"Can you tell me what happened? Margaret Cain, I demand a report. Tell me what happened to you."

Maggie only grinned, leaking water and an eerie sense of malice.

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><p>AUTHOR'S NOTE: After trying and failing several times to finish this blasted episode, I finally reworked the whole storyline. The bit about Viera's potential infection got shunted this way. It's going to be choppy because I'm not going to bother with all the bits that don't change from the episode. It might feel a bit rushed. Sorry, but really, I just want to be done with this one.<p> 


	2. A Different Distraction

IMPORTANT: THIS IS AN ALTERNATE ENDING. It diverts from Part Eight of Viera, my main Doctor Who project. If you haven't read that then this won't make a whole lot of sense.

ALLERGEN WARNING: The following product may contain faith, doubt, SPOILERS for Doctor Who, an OC, the occasional monologue, and more than a few nuts.

* * *

><p><em>Supplemental Soundtrack:<em>

**Trust: "Heart of Courage" by Two Steps From Hell**

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><p>ALTERNATE PART EIGHT – WATERS OF MARS<p>

Alteration Two – A Different Distraction

The Doctor tried talking to Maggie in the old Martian tongue, to no avail. While she seemed to understand, she didn't answer at first. Then when she did, when Maggie had finally heard enough of their words, she threatened them all with "the Flood", the parasite that now controlled her body. A parasite that wanted all of Earth.

Captain Adelaide ordered an evacuation, but as the others scattered to get ready, she decided it was necessary to find where the infection began, lest they risk taking it with them. She mentioned the ice field below their complex, intending to check it out.

The Doctor, however, made excuses to stay, his usual curiosity notably absent.

So Adelaide left without him, warning the others to keep an eye on them as she left.

"That's quite enough of that," the Doctor stated. The other crew members were too distracted enough with their preparations for leaving to do more than glance their way every so often. The Doctor fully intended to take advantage of that, if the way he immediately set to work on the nearby computer was any indication. "Time to get you out of here."

"What?" Viera asked, startled. He made a final adjustment to the computer and waved his screwdriver in her direction. She stepped back as the door slid open abruptly. "But- But what if I'm infected?" She stared at his outstretched hand and made no move to take it.

The Doctor wiggled his fingers. "We'll never know if we don't test you with better equipment than this," he chided. He sounded like it was any other adventure, like he had it all under control. He had to be bluffing. "Come on. We'll go back to the TARDIS and get this all figured out."

"You can't be serious," Viera stammered. She pointed to Maggie, who was watching them both with a watery smile and sly eyes. "I could have that in me, and you wouldn't even know until I got close enough to the TARDIS controls to do real damage. Or until we land somewhere heavily populated and it decides it's time to start spreading again." Her voice kept rising with every possibility; she was just as afraid of what might happen if she left that room as she was of being left there to die with the rest. Or almost. It hurt to be taunted with the possibility of escape when she knew she shouldn't take it. "Or until you turn you back and the parasite decides it's time to infect _you!_ Can you imagine the damage-" Viera stopped and shook her head, stepping back again.

"I can't go. Close the door."

"Viera, listen to me. We don't have time for this. You're going to be alright, but we need to get you back to the TARDIS. There's a very good chance you're not even infected. It only touched your skin. It didn't get in your mouth or eyes or an open wound."

"But what if I am?"

"I can handle it-"

"You said yourself I'm more vulnerable than most to outside influences."

"You have more experience at controlling them now. And I take the fact that you're fighting leaving so hard as a very good sign," the Doctor concluded optimistically.

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to be safe again. But what if he was wrong? All of time and space could be vulnerable to the Flood if it got loose on the TARDIS.

"It isn't worth the risk," Viera murmured, clutching his coat tighter around her.

The Doctor's joviality vanished as he realized that tactic wasn't working. He stepped into the cell with her, then stopped as she stepped back again. He sighed quietly and lowered his hand.

"Do you trust me?" the Doctor asked with absolute seriousness. Viera's objections ran dry. What was she supposed to say to that? She bit her lip and looked away from the earnestness in his intense brown eyes. "I know what's at risk," he stated quietly. "I wouldn't ask you to come with me if I didn't think I could contain it if you are infected. I'll take every precaution. I promise, I can handle this."

Viera rubbed her fingers over one of the buttons of her borrowed coat, fidgeting in her nervousness. She _wanted_ to go. Of course she did. She didn't want to alone in that cell. She didn't want to be alone if she did get taken over by the water parasite. She wanted to go _home._

"Trust me?" the Doctor repeated, laying his palm against the glass. Viera looked up and met his gaze. He was amazing, really. He wasn't perfect of course, and there was always a chance that he was making a huge mistake, but he was wise and noble, and really, there was only one answer she could give to that.

"Yes," Viera admitted. The Doctor grinned, brief and relieved, then backed out of the cell and nodded towards the door.

"Come on. We've got to hurry."

It was painfully easy to slip out while the crew was busy elsewhere; the Doctor even managed to snatch up their orange spacesuits. Someone must have been paying attention to the cameras though, because when they finally reached the outer door it was locked.

The Captain's voice echoed through the relays in their suits, low and furious.

"I ordered you to stay in the medical bay."

"Sorry, Adelaide," the Doctor chirped, seriousness underlying his carefree tone. "I'm afraid this is our cue to leave."

"She's _infected_," Captain Brooke spat. Viera flinched. "Do you have _any_ idea what you're risking?"

"She _might_ be infected," countered the Doctor easily. "And I know exactly what I'm doing." There was a quiet pop as the seal on the door gave way beneath his meddling screwdriver. The Doctor took a step forward, then paused, all his years weighing on the quiet timbre of his voice.

"I truly am sorry, Adelaide."

Then he took Viera's glove-covered hand and pulled her outside. Adelaide's voice and the panicked chatter of the others in the background cut off abruptly as the Doctor changed the frequency of their helmet communicators.

The walk back to the TARDIS was quiet. Viera's thoughts were consumed with worry about the parasite and trying to avoid thoughts of the doomed crew they were leaving behind them. She could only guess at the Doctor's thoughts.

She didn't _feel_ infected, but she wasn't sure she'd know. Did people usually notice when they were going crazy or losing control? Had Maggie known? Viera thought over her actions since being splashed but couldn't find anything that seemed out of character. Her mind felt clear.

Maybe the Doctor was right. Maybe she'd gotten off with nothing more than a scare.

Viera followed the Doctor into the TARDIS and took off her helmet with a relieved sigh. It was good to be back.

A wave of dizziness washed over Viera. Fuzzy blackness ate away at the edges of her vision and sudden tremors wracked her limbs. Even knowing what it was, even having worried about it every step of the way, the parasite still managed to surprise her.


	3. History Goes Unchanged

IMPORTANT: THIS IS AN ALTERNATE ENDING. It diverts from Part Eight of Viera, my main Doctor Who project. If you haven't read that then this won't make a whole lot of sense.

ALLERGEN WARNING: The following product may contain faith, doubt, SPOILERS for Doctor Who, an OC, the occasional monologue, and more than a few nuts.

* * *

><p><em>Supplemental Soundtrack:<em>

**Rebirth: "If Dante Had Wings" by Kerry Muzzey**

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><p>ALTERNATE PART EIGHT – WATERS OF MARS<p>

Alteration Three – History Goes Unchanged

She felt like she was drowning, all the thoughts and will that were her own washing away in the flood. Distantly she heard the Doctor cry out, but she couldn't breathe let alone struggle for a reply.

The Flood washed through her body, tearing Viera free from every cell as it changed them. Soon her body would be as foreign as the being inside of it. She was numb in moments, no longer connected to any of her physical senses. She couldn't see, couldn't smell or feel or hear. The Flood began to peel her thoughts free of her mind as well, but there it ran into a snag.

The power channels dug deeply into Viera's spirit and mind could not be corrupted the way her body had been; they were hers and hers alone. Her soul, her thoughts and memories clung to them, protected in some part from the Flood's influence. She was helpless still, but she could not be banished completely.

Time meant nothing in the parody of existence that was all that remained to Viera. There was no pain, no change, just survival. Her thoughts were fragmented, too dazed to put words to anything. She had no room for fear or panic within her. She simply _was_.

Then there was light. And just like that all her senses returned.

Viera tried to breathe and panicked when water gurgled through her chest instead. She struggled, but the harder she fought the more frightening her helplessness was. The more she struggled the more she could feel something fighting back. A moan trickled from a throat not entirely under her control.

"Calm down," the Doctor's familiar voice ordered. Her eyes rolled wildly as she tried to look for him without proper motor control. She couldn't manage any sort of coordination with half the cells in her body fighting against her. Still, she managed to get a fix on worried brown eyes and stay there. "Don't try to breathe. Just relax. Let your body take care of itself." He grimaced slightly, knowing his words weren't as comforting as he'd have liked them to be. "You don't need oxygen the way you used to."

Viera forced herself to still, as though she were holding her breath. There was no sense of straining or dizziness, though full minutes passed without an attempt to breathe. He was right. She really didn't need to.

_Stay calm._

Her muscles kept twitching, still getting mixed signals from her brain. She could feel the other presence if she tried. It was… primal. There was intelligence there, quiet whispers in the back of her mind that she couldn't yet translate, but it was instinct that overrode everything. It wasn't entirely foreign, not anymore. It was twined within her spirit, its instincts tainting hers, though her thoughts remained her own aside from the whispers. Calm wasn't as hard to reach as perhaps it should have been.

Frankly Viera felt a little drugged, almost separated from her emotions, distant from the situation now that she'd stopped panicking. She wondered if the Doctor had sedated her or whether she'd always feel that way.

Somehow she knew already that it could not be undone.

"How are you feeling?" the Doctor asked, searching her expression. She simply looked back at him, part of her mind processing too slowly while the other part was already considering whether or not she could speak as she was. Strain deepened the lines around the Doctor's eyes. "Do you remember me? Viera?"

Maggie had spoken. She should be able to as well. She had to try. She was worrying him. Viera tried to take a breath and gurgled. She had to fight back panic again. _Alright. Bad idea. Try again._ She attempted to let go of what she knew about talking and just let it happen.

"Yes," she managed a moment later.

The Doctor's expression lightened a little with hope. "Do you remember what happened?"

She remembered fear. It had been quite different than the instinctual panic she felt if she tried and failed to breathe. She remembered feeling horrified and scared before it had all been washed away. The emotions had been so strong and vibrant, felt to the depths of her soul. She wasn't sure anything could reach that far within her any longer. It all felt sort of… distant.

"Infected," Viera answered, slowly getting the hang of speech through water-logged vocal chords. _Infected makes it sound like some sort of disease. It's not though. Not quite._ Her nose wrinkled slightly as she sought a more accurate term. "Changed."

"Yes," he sighed. He kept studying her like he was looking for signs of… Well, of something. She wasn't entirely sure. He looked troubled though, and she wished he didn't. "I'm sorry. I thought I'd have more time. You can't infect anyone else. I could manage that much, but I can't- I can't fix this."

She didn't really need fixing. Viera didn't react beyond blinking and the Doctor looked more upset, something fracturing beneath his steady calm.

_That_ bothered her. It was like an itch beneath her skin that demanded attention. A frown pulled at her lips and she reached a surprisingly dry palm up to rest against his cheek. He leaned into the touch, catching her hand in one of his.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"I'm not," Viera offered. That only seemed to hurt him, which wasn't at all her intention. She tilted her head to get a better look at him. "I don't want you to be sad."

He took a deep breath and nodded, attempting a smile. She could see through it easily, but she pretended she couldn't. Her muscles shook with faint tremors as she sat up and the whispers grew louder in the back of Viera's mind. She paused a moment to listen. While she still couldn't understand their meanings, the whispers calmed as soon as she paid them a bit of attention.

"I'm different, not dead," Viera stated when she could focus on the world outside of her mind again. She flexed her fingers, ignoring the faint, foreign sense of rage that flickered in the depths of her spirit at the sight of dry skin. She was glad she couldn't infect anyone else. She knew the anger was from the remnants of the Flood that remained.

She knew herself, her thoughts, her beliefs. The desire to cause harm was not her and she would not entertain that instinct or the emotions that came with it. As long as she kept her mind clear, Viera would never lose herself to the parasite. She was quite alright with what she'd become. She didn't like the near-mourning she saw in the Doctor's eyes, but he was accustomed to change. He'd get used to the differences in her as well.

Viera wondered absently whether he ever changed so much between regenerations.

"Am I well enough to travel?" she asked. It wasn't quite hope or excitement that prompted the question, but she _did_ want to explore. Viera was pleased to find that her voice grew less monotone the more she used it.

"I think so, yes," the Doctor replied. He hesitated a moment before offering his hand, as though he wasn't sure whether she'd take it.

Viera wrapped her fingers around his without a pause. That was one instinct she had no desire to fight.

His smile was more real the second time around.

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><p>AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope that's not too confusing. It makes sense in my head, but that doesn't always mean anything. For clarification: Everyone else on Mars died. Viera still looks mostly human and she's not leaking water the way the others did. She is, however, changed irrevocably mentally and emotionally. She still reacts according to her morals, but she won't ever <em>feel<em> things the way she once did. The fierce empathy and compassion that once so defined her are faded; it's all sort of distant and logic-based to her now.

This makes me sad (though I find Viera interesting this way; she'd be braver this way, and have to struggle with the Flood's influence from time to time. I think she'd end up stronger but less innocent). Therefore this is only a what-might-have-been and I'm going to go back to writing the _real_ Viera.


End file.
